Cooktown Queensland

View of Cooktown from Grassy Hill

Cooktown Queensland is the northernmost town on the east coast of Australia, located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. In Guugu Yimithirr the name for the region is, Gan.gaarr, which means “(place of the) rock crystals.” Quartz crystals were used in various Aboriginal ceremonies and are found in the vicinity, they were traded at least as far as Mossman, about 300 km south of Cooktown. Captain James Cook beached the Endeavour here in 1770 for repairs after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef. The district is good agriculturallly and the town is also supported by prawning and fishing. For your enjoyment there is Markets at Endeavour Lions Park, every 2nd Sat. June: Cooktown Endeavour Festival (long weekend). with re-enactment of Cook,’s landing. July: Laura-Cape York Aboriginal Dance Festival(odd numbered years).

Home Rule Track and Gap Creek Track
Cedar Bay (Mangkal-Mangkalba) National Park
Cooktown Queensland
Australia

Dense tropical rainforest grows in Cedar Bay National Park, a remote coastal park in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Sandy beaches and fringing reefs are backed by rainforest. There are two walking tracks in Cedar Bay National Park, the Home Rule track and the Gap Creek track. The Home Rule of Cooktown Queensland track traverses attractive rainforest, ascending and descending steeply before arriving at the northern end of Cedar Bay. The early part of the walk follows an old road and involves several creek crossings. The road narrows to a track before Slaty Creek, then ascends to Black Snake Rocks. The track enters the national park on a ridge that affords a glimpse of the sea and descends steeply along an

Home Rule Track and Gap Creek Track

old tin mining track that leads to the beach. A walk south along the beach will take you to the camping area. The Gap Creek track begins on the eastern side of the Cooktown-Bloomfield Road and heads straight into the national park. Initially the track runs parallel to the road before descending to cross Gap Creek. From Gap Creek the track climbs and descends a number of spurs and crosses several gullies before reaching “Centre Garden”, just west of the camping area.

Cape Melville National Park

Cape Melville National Park combines massive granite boulders of the Melville Range with sandstone escarpments of the Altanmoui Range and inland dunefields. These features form part of a living, Aboriginal cultural landscape. Bush camp at Bathurst Bay behind the beach. Drive to Jones Gap for impressive views to Altanmoui Range and south to the Howick River. Look for pied imperial-pigeons and Papuan frogmouths. Cooktown Queensland is a nature lovers delight.

Cooktown Scenic Rim Trail

Cooktown Queensland’s Scenic Rim Trail displays all aspects of the town’s historical and cultural delights. Experience a range of diverse natural habitats, each with their own special features and species. Walk through mangrove lined banks of the Endeavour River, an estuarine environment which forms a complex breeding ground for various wildlife. Pass through open forest on the lower reaches of Mount Cook, until the trail reaches the rainforest. Up through the dim rainforest light, weave past vine thicket and around walls of buttress roots. The trail crosses Alligator Creek, (only cross at low tide) and continues along the beach towards the northern end of Finch Bay. On the decent to the small secluded beach at Cherry Tree Bay enjoy magnificent coastal views. Sometimes fish, turtles and even dugongs can be seen in the bay. The Scenic Rim Trail is broken into nine different sections, catering for a range of fitness levels.

Hope Islands National Park

Hope Islands National Park consists of a pair of low-lying coral cays. West Hope is a shingle cay dominated by hardy mangroves, and East Hope is a typical sandy cay with trees such as beach almond and red coondoo. An important nesting site for pied imperial-pigeons, these islands are significant sea country of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people. Relax and enjoy the natural beauty. Bush camp at one of four campsites on East Hope Island. Watch the birdlife along the shore. Go snorkelling or diving to discover amazing reef life. Make use of public moorings and throw in a fishing line. Cooktown Queensland and adjoining attractions are some of the most beautiful on earth.

Lakefield National Park

Lakefield National Park, Queensland’s second-largest national park, features spectacular wetlands and extensive river systems. Lakefield is a wildlife refuge for threatened species including the red goshawk, Lakeland Downs mouse and spectacled hare-wallaby. Hann and Kalpowar crossings are two of the many significant Aboriginal cultural heritage sites found in this landscape. Bush camp beside a waterhole at one of several peaceful campgrounds. Visit old homestead sites for a brush with history. Fish for barramundi in the waterholes. Watch waterbirds at Low Lake. See lotus-lilies at Red and White Lily lagoons.

Lizard Island National Park

Lizard Island National Park consists of a remote group of five islands set in a turquoise sea, part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Lizard, the main island, has several sheltered, sandy beaches with easy access to beautiful coral and clam gardens. Snorkel in the sheltered, shallow waters of Watsons Bay. Following in the footsteps of the famous explorer, climb to Cooks Look (395 metres), or walk to the Blue Lagoon on the other side of the island. Bush camp near the beach at peaceful Watsons Bay. At Mary Watson’s cottage, learn about a tragic episode in the island’s history. There are a myriad of things to do and learn in and around Cooktown Queensland.

Mount Cook National Park

Mount Cook National Park, with rugged Mount Cook rising to 431 metres, provides a scenic backdrop to the town of Cooktown. Named in honour of Captain James Cook, this granite hill clad in rainforest and eucalypt woodland is known as Waymbuurr by the Aboriginal Traditional Owners. Take the steep two kilometre walk to the Waymbuurr lookout for scenic views over the Great Barrier Reef and coastline. Climb one kilometre further to Mount Cook’s summit. See large granite boulders covered with ferns. Look for tree snakes and lace monitors. Take binoculars for birdwatching.

A Brief History Of Cooktown Queensland

Cook’s Arrival

Endeavour replica sailing into Cooktown's harbour near the mouth of the Endeavour River where the original Endeavour was beached for 7 weeks in 1770.

The site of modern Cooktown Queensland was the meeting place of two vastly different cultures when, in June 1770, the local Aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr tribe cautiously watched the crippled sailing ship – His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour – limp up the coast seeking a safe harbour after sustaining serious damage to its wooden hull on the Endeavour Reef, south of Cooktown. The Guugu Yimithirr people saw the Endeavour beach in the calm waters near the mouth of their river, which they called “Wahalumbaal”. The captain of the Endeavour, Lieutenant James Cook, wrote: “. . . it was happy for us that a place of refuge was at hand; for we soon found that the ship would not work, and it is remarkable that in the whole course of our voyage we had seen no place that our present circumstances could have afforded us the same relief”.

The British crew spent seven weeks on the site of present-day Cooktown, repairing their ship, replenishing food and water supplies, and caring for their sick. The extraordinary scientist, Joseph Banks, and Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander, who accompanied Cook on the expedition, collected, preserved and documented over 200 new species of plants. The young artist Sydney Parkinson illustrating the specimens and he was the first British artist to portray Aboriginal people from direct observation. After some weeks, Joseph Banks met and spoke with the local people, recording about 50 Guugu Yimithirr words, including the name of the intriguing animal the natives called gangurru (which he transcribed as “Kangaru”). Cook recorded the local name as “Kangooroo, or Kanguru”.

The first recorded sighting of kangaroos by Europeans was on Grassy Hill, which rises above the place where the ship was beached. Cook climbed this hill to work out a safe passage for the Endeavour to sail through the surrounding reefs, after it was repaired. Cook named the river the “Endeavour” after his ship, and, as they sailed north, he hoisted the flag known as the ‘Queen Anne Jack’ and claimed possession of the whole eastern coast of Australia for Britain. He named Cape York Peninsula after the then HRH the Duke of York (“The Grand Old Duke of York”). “In 1886 the people of Cooktown were anxious to recover the brass guns of the Endeavour which were thrown overboard, in order to place them as a memento in their town; but they could not be found, which is not altogether surprising.”

King’s Expedition

The next recorded European expedition to the area was nearly 50 years later, when another botanist, Allan Cunningham, accompanying Captain Phillip Parker King, visited the remarkable region surrounding Cooktown Queensland in 1819-20. He also collected numerous botanical specimens for the British Museum and Kew Gardens.

Gold Rush

In 1872, William Hann discovered gold in the Palmer River, southwest of Cooktown. His findings were reported to James Venture Mulligan who led an expedition to the Palmer River in 1873. Mulligan’s expedition found quantities of alluvial gold and thus began the gold rush that was to bring prospectors to the Endeavour River from all over the world. The Queensland government responded quickly to Mulligan’s reports, and soon a party was dispatched to advise whether the Endeavour River would be a suitable site for a port. Shortly after, a new township was established at the site of the present town, on the southern bank of the river. The Palmer goldfields and its centre, Maytown, were growing quickly. The recorded output of gold from 1873 to 1890 was over half a million ounces (more than 15,500 kg). Cooktown was the port through which this gold was exported and supplies for the goldfields brought in. Word of the gold quickly spread, and Cooktown was

A visit of Chinese Commissioners to Cooktown in 1887.

soon thriving, as prospectors arrived from around the world. Population estimates vary widely, but there were probably around 7,000 people in the area and about 4,000 permanent residents in the town by 1880. At that time, Cooktown Queensland boasted a large number of hotels and guest houses. There were 47 licensed pubs within the town boundaries in 1874 although this number had dropped to 27 by the beginning of 1880. There were also a number of illegal grog shops and several brothels. There were bakeries, a brewery and a soft drinks factory, dressmakers and milliners, a brickworks, a cabinetmaker, and two newspapers.

The port of Cooktown Queensland served the nearby goldfields and, during the goldrush of the 1870s, a Chinese community many thousands strong grew up in the goldfields and in the town itself. The Chinese played an important role in the early days of Cooktown. They came originally as prospectors, but many established market gardens, supplying the town and the goldfields with fruit, vegetables and rice, while others opened shops. However, largely through cultural misunderstandings, conflict broke out between the Aboriginal people and the new settlers, and the diggers. The Cooktown Herald, 8 December 1875, reported: “The natives wholly ignorant of the terrible firepower of fire-arms, and confiding in their numbers, showed a ferocity and daring wholly unexpected and unsurpassed. Grasping the very muzzles of the rifles they attempted to wrest them from the hands of the whites, standing to be shot down, rather than yield an inch….” It was an unequal struggle. Whole tribes were wiped out as European settlement spread over Cape York Peninsula.In 1887, a Chinese Investigation Commission to South-East Asia arrived in Cooktown from Canton to investigate the social conditions of Chinese living in the colonies and to establish consulates in them. The visit went well, General Wong Yung Ho was pleased with what they had found, and cheers were exchanged between the Commission members and local residents as they left on August 7, 1887.

Transport was an ongoing problem for the new settlers. Getting supplies and people to the goldfields often took three weeks. After every wet season the tracks and bridges had to be remade. A railway line from Cooktown to Maytown, was planned, but it took five years to get the 67 miles (108 km) to Laura – and that is where it stopped. By that time the gold was petering out, so the Queensland Government refused further

Locomotive at the Cooktown Railway Station, ca 1889

funding for the venture. In spite of this, the train proved to be a lifeline for the Peninsula people connecting the hinterland to Cooktown, from where one could catch a boat to Cairns and other southern ports. The line was closed in 1961 after the Peninsula Development Road was built connecting Cooktown and other Peninsula communities with Cairns and the Atherton Tableland to the south.

Cooktown’s magnificent Botanic Garden of 62 hectares (154 acres) was established near the town in 1878. Much work was done in the early stages – with wells sunk, water reticulated, garden beds enclosed, stone-lined paths, stone-pitched pools and footbridges made, and lawns, trees and shrubs planted. Although the gardens fell into disrepair, in recent years they have been expanded and are a popular destination for botanists and nature lovers. Most of the early stonework has been restored, and beautiful walking tracks lead the visitor through the Botanic Garden to the magnificent beaches at Finch Bay and Cherry Tree Bay. In 1881, a bridge over the Endeavour River was completed, which opened up the richer pastoral lands of the Endeavour and McIvor River valleys. Tin was found in the Annan River area, south of Cooktown, in 1884. In 1886, Lutheran missionaries came to Cooktown Queensland to establish a secure place for the Aboriginal people who were living in abominable conditions on the edge of the town. Missions were established at Elim on the beach (later they moved inland to Hopevale), and Wujal Wujal, near the mouth of the Bloomfield River.

In 1893 the town was described as follows:

“Cooktown, which now stands on the Endeavour River, is a thriving place, and the northernmost town on this coast. It has some 2000 inhabitants, and is the port for a gold mining district. A deeper channel has now been dredged over the bar that gave Cook so much trouble, but it is not a harbour that will admit large vessels.”

James Cook Museum

With the gold rush over, the number of people living in the area started dwindling. Two major fires struck Cooktown – in 1875 and, again, in 1919 when whole blocks of buildings in the main street were burned to the ground. A major cyclone in 1907 added to the destruction.

World War II

By 1940, little evidence of Cooktown or Maytown’s interesting past remained. During the Second World War, Cooktown became an important base for the war effort. The civilian population of Cooktown Queensland was encouraged to evacuate in face of the Japanese advances and by 1942 the vast majority had left. The Aboriginal people of the Lutheran missions at Hope Vale and Bloomfield were forcibly removed – most being taken south to Woorabinda in May, 1942, while some of the elderly people were sent to Palm Island. The senior missionary, Pastor Schwartz (known as Muni to the local people), was arrested and placed in internment as he were suspected as being an enemy sympathiser. The Aboriginal people were not allowed to return to their homelands until 1949, well after the end of the war. Many Aboriginal people died when moved from their traditional lands, and many Aboriginal and white families never returned from their exile. Some 20,000 Australian and American troops were stationed in and around the town. The busy airfield played a key role in the crucial Battle of the Coral Sea when Japanese expansion towards the Australian mainland was finally halted. The last military unit, the 27th Operational Base Squadron of the RAAF, ceased operations in Cooktown in April 1946.

Since World War II

In 1949, another cyclone devastated the town, and Cooktown’s population declined further. With the closure of the rail link to Laura in 1961 and the “Peninsula Development Road” opened up to the south, the population declined to just a few hundred people before it gradually began to climb again. There is an active Aboriginal Community Centre on the main street called Gungarde (from the original Guugu Yimithirr name for the region). The “Milbi Wall” (or “Story Wall”) marks the place of the first encounter between the British seafarers and the local Aborigines. The Milbi Wall tells the story of Cooktown and the Endeavour River from the perspective of the Aboriginal people, and is an outstanding monument to reconciliation. Cooktown Queensland has recently grown in importance again and has become a popular tourist destination.

Endeavour River

The paving of the Mulligan Highway now provides all-weather access by road for the first time. There are two flights a day connecting Cooktown with Cairns. The town now has good communications, more services, better roads, and offers residents a relaxed and healthy lifestyle.About 2,000 people live in the town itself while about another 4,000 in the region use it as a service centre. Visitors enjoy the delightful tropical environment, the historical connections, and use it as an access point to the Great Barrier Reef, the Lakefield National Park, and for fishing.

Surround Yourself With The Beauty Of Nature in Cooktown Queensland

Cooktown is of particular interest to botanists since the time of James Cook’s visit when extensive collections and illustrations were made of local plants. It is situated at the junction of several vegetation zones including tropical rainforest, sclerophyll forests, sandy dunes and lagoons. Vera Scarth-Johnson, a local resident, gave a priceless collection of her botanical illustrations to the people of Cooktown, which are now housed in a dedicated gallery at Nature’s PowerHouse situated in the Botanic Gardens, and features displays of local flora and fauna. Cooktown Queensland is a service centre for the district including the Aboriginal communities of Hopevale, 47 km to the northwest, and Wujal Wujal, 72 km to the south. Cooktown is the northern terminus of the Bicentennial Heritage Trail, which, at 5,330 km (3,312 miles), is the longest trail of its type in the world. The southern end of the trail is at Healesville, Victoria, a town 52 km north-east of Melbourne. The rugged Mount Cook (231 metres or 758 ft), named on 27 June 1818 by Phillip Parker King, forms a backdrop to the town and is now part of the Mount Cook National Park. Cooktown gets regular strong trade winds over the dry season months of May through to October that provides good conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing at the beach near the Annan River mouth.

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Is a town located in the north-eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 236 kilometres (147 mi) east of the state capital, Perth, between the towns of Wyalkatchem and Nungarin. At the 2006 census, Trayning had a population of 122.

History

When the Dowerin to Merredin railway was planned in 1910, Trayning was selected as the site for a siding. Land was set aside for a townsite to be named Trayning Siding in 1910, but when it was surveyed and gazetted in 1912 it was named Trayning. The townsite is named after Trayning Well, the Aboriginal name of a nearby water source located on an old road from Goomalling to the eastern goldfields. It was first recorded by a surveyor in 1892, and allegedly derives from the Aboriginal word ‘During’ meaning ‘snake in the grass by the campfire’. people.

Present day

The town is a tourist base for exploring local wildflowers, has a single-officer police station, a K-7 primary school with 50 students that was opened in 1912, a 25-metre swimming pool and two 18-hole golf courses. An attraction is the annual Tractor Pull Mud Bog & Burnout and a boy.

Shire of Trayning

Hervey Dam Ampi, Trayning WA

The Shire of Trayning covers an area of 1,632 sq kms consisting of agricultural land, nature reserves and national parks in the North Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Trayning lies 235 kilometres east of Perth on the Goomalling/Merredin Road. We have a population of approximately 430 people and are mostly a farming community devoted to wheat, coarse grains and various livestock. There are three townships within the Shire, being Trayning, Kununoppin and Yelbeni. “The Shire of Trayning is an active, safe and vibrant community that works together with honesty and is respectful of the values of all.  We are committed to a progressive, diverse and profitable community that supports healthy lifestyles sustained by positive social values and engaged youth. Our natural assets are valued, protected and enhanced for future generations.”

History of the Shire

John Septimus Roe’s survey party travelled through the Mangowine area in October, 1836. From 1845, sandalwood cutters gradually opened up tracks into the hinterland so pepole could have passed through these areas after the 1850’s. Further exploration of the region was undertaken in June 1860 by members of the Dempster family seeking pastoral country but water was scarce. Again in July 1861 they travelled as far as the Yilgarn. A few years later they grazed a mob of sheep in the Kodji Kodjin area but lack of water and poison plants forced them out. Later, Surveyor Charles Hunt in 1865 opened up tracks and established wells and dams in areas to the south and east of this Shire.

In 1867 Henry Twine and Charles Adams explored the land east of Toodyay towards Lake Brown and Twine took up leases totalling 6,070 ha (15,000 acres). In 1868 these leases were transferred to Charles Adams and James Ward. The leases were around Yarragin and eastward to Barbalin and extending N.W. from Yarragin for a mile or so. Another lease took in land S.E. of Billyacatting. Adams and Ward also had a tillage lease at Yarragin. The first home was built at Yarragin and Charles Adams with wife Jane, were accompanied by Jane’s sister and brother in law, James and Janet Ward and Alex Glass, a brother to Jane and Janet. Many of the earliest settlers were connected by marriage.

Henry Twine’s sheep flock was grazed on a wool rental basis by Charles Adams. The nearest outpost to Yarragin was Goomalling and nearest town for trading, Toodyay. Twice yearly the journey by dray was made to take out wool and sandalwood and to obtain supplies. These people had to use local materials and their own skills to build homes and provide for most of their own food requirements and other needs. Life was never easy, especially for the women who had to bake their own bread, make butter, preserve meat and make candles and clothes. They soon established gardens with fruit trees and vegetables.

In 1870 low wool prices almost caused Charles Adams to abandon the area, he sold his interests to James Ward but an upturn in wool prices in 1871-73 saw him take up leases at Mangowine and the family settled there in 1874. Charles Glass, father of Alex, Jane and Janet, left his son Charles on the farm and Wongamine and moved to Walcancobbing S.E. of Kununoppin but soon shifted from there to Quelkan. Stone chimneys, one of which still stands in the S.W. corner of Billyacatting Reserve, mark the sites of these early camps. Charles with son Alex settled at Moujakine and built a homestead there. Availability of water or lack of it was the reason for the early moves.

During the 1870s further people settled in the area toward the east and south. Charles Adams in 1879, was authorised by the Toodyay Road Board to sink wells along the Toodyay-Yarragin Road including the one at Trayning. In 1887 Alex Glass and his mother discovered a small nugget of gold while cleaning out a well. One account of this event tells of a drowned possum being the reason for cleaning the well. This gold discovery led to a number of searches further inland and in 1888 the Yilgarn Goldfield was proclaimed. From this time on a stream of hopefuls were heading to the goldfields. The Yarragin track with its line of wells was one of the principal early routes to Golden Valley and the Yilgarn. That find at Moujakine led to the development of the eastern goldfields. Moujakine, Yarragin and Mangowine all became important stopping places for weary travellers and brought the chance for settlers to trade with them. Wayside Inn licenses were held at Yarragin and Moujakine in 1888. The heap of mud that marks the site of the old Yarragin homestead was also the home of our first “watering hole”. The Wayside Inn licenses would have been fairly short lived for once the railway to Southern Cross was opened the passing trade would have dropped to nothing. Arnold Butterly had been the lessee of Yarragin from the mid 1870s to 1895 the Wards having moved to Wattoning to graze sheep for the Dempsters. In 1895 Butterly handed over the Yarragin lease to James Moran, husband of the former Elizabeth Adams.

Jane Adams, whose husband Charles died in 1895 obtained a mail contract from Kellerberrin to Dandanning via Moujakine and Yarragin in 1897. This was a fortnightly service and took Charles Adams Jnr. a week to complete. Most of the beneficiaries of this service were related to each other. One of those to take up a large leasehold in 1900 was Robert T. Wolfe who settled at Kodji Kodjin. The lease covered the Walcancobbing area. In 1901 Robert Wolfe received the first land titled issued within the Trayning Shire area. It was Wolfe, a friend of Barney Lamond from their Kimberly days who persuaded him to come to this area. Robert Wolfe is remembered on the maps from Wolfe Creek and the Wolfe Creek Crater in the Kimberly. Prior to 1985 the “e” had been omitted from the name on maps. Barney Lamond lived at Yarragin and later, following the death of Charles Glass, leased Mangowine from his widow. He was one of the first landholders after farming started.

In 1906 the Government of the day made decisions which were to lead to the opening of the whole region for agricultural purposes. Small scale farming had occurred on tillage leases, enough to show the potential of the area. Grazing leases were not renewed, or were cancelled. Surveyors moved in and divided up the land into what were then economic units depending on soil types. These early surveyors did an outstanding job in determining potential based on vegetation growing on the land. Only the advent of salinity has changed things. Most blocks were of 840 acres with a homestead block of 160 acres being a grant if they settled the land. By 1909 settlers, many of them retrenched public servants from all areas of Government, who had been offered incentives to take up the land were coming into the area. By 1912 virtually the whole area had been alienated.

These people had much in common, few had any farming experience, many were unused to physical work of the type demanded by their circumstances and finance was very short. The 400 pounds the Government allowed them had to last till crops started coming in. Bartering goods, exchanging labour, horses and machinery was one way of surviving. Droughts in 1911 and 1914 saw desperate shortages of water and feed for stock. The railways had to bring in water once wells and dams failed. Water was also expensive, a major worry for already impoverished settlers. Despite the hardships of early settlement there were many people around and dances, sport, schools and churches all started in 1912 along with Local Government. In January 1912 the first Local Government body formed was the Korrelocking Roads Board. It was an ill fated group; elected members had to finance its attempts to function as no Government funds were forthcoming. It covered an area from west of Korrelocking to beyond Quelkan and north to include Mount Marshall. It only lasted three months. The next move, in April 1912 was to form the Ninghan Road District, which dropped some of the area west of Korrelocking but still took in the remaining areas of the previous board. The administration was handled from Trayning and the name persisted until 1923 when Wyalkatchem, Koorda, Mount Marshall and Nungarin had become or were becoming Road Districts in their own right. After Wyalkatchem came into existence the Korrelocking and Nembudding areas were excised in 1919/20. Mount Marshall became a Road Board in 1923 and Nungarin in 1924. Some boundary adjustments were made as late as the 1950s. The Ninghan Road District disappeared in 1923 to become the Kununoppin-Trayning Road District and in 1961 the Shire of Trayning.

Also formed in 1912 were the Kununoppin and Trayning Progress Associations. The Trayning Association built a hall in 1913 which became redundant in 1928 with the construction of the Trayning Town Hall. The old hall was demolished in 1938 and the materials used for part of a shed on the Barnes farm. Lot 37 Coronation Street was the site of this building. Halls were built in Kununoppin, Yelbeni and Kodji Kodjin in 1923 by local volunteer efforts. A previous smaller bough shed style building had served for dances at Kununoppin. It stood to the west of the Bank of N.S.W. Of interest also was a request from the Trayning Progress Association in 1913 to the Road Board “to plant trees in the streets”. The result could have been the numerous pepper trees that used to line the streets; and this at a time when clearing was first getting under way! The first organised game of football was played at South Trayning on Herbert Flowers farm, later owned by Harry Riley. I believe it was against a Nungarin team. This was in 1912. Football, cricket and soccer were all popular in the early years. Tennis became increasingly popular in the 1920s and gold in the late 1920s. Women’s hockey was played in the early 1930s. Rifle shooting commenced at Kununoppin in 1915, a club had been formed at South Trayning a couple of years earlier. The Trayning Club folded in about 1920 but the Kununoppin one was active until the 1970s. Football ceased in 1990. The three teams that had existed gradually reduced to just one and finally there were not enough players available to form a team. The loss of population has many effects in a community.

The first organised “trotting” race was in 1916. Horses in sulkies raced between Kununoppin and Trayning with the prize a barrel of beer! An unregistered club was formed in Trayning in 1917 with a track on the town common, now occupied by the golf course and catchment area. In 1923 the club became the third to be registered in W.A. after Gloucester Park and Kalgoorlie. Trotting remained very popular until funding cuts and falling T.A.B. turnover meant that insufficient funds were available to keep many country clubs going. The first years of settlement were very difficult for farmers, drought, poor crops and prices and lack of finance meant everyone found it hard going. Things were no better in the city either. With the outbreak of war in 1914 a very large number of the less than 30 age group of men joined the army and a lot never returned. For those left behind the seasons improved from 1915 on with excellent rains although it meant that the roads became quagmires. Land clearing went on; bigger areas of crop were sown. Rabbits were becoming an increasing problem and rabbit fencing started in earnest. There were few sheep in these early times as dingoes were common and sheep had to be shepherded and locked up at night. With the end of the war prices for wheat improved and by 1920 there was enough money becoming available to improve homes, fences and machines, etc. Small tractors became available in the early 1920s and for those with water shortages these were a godsend. Carting water was an endless heart breaking job. Some farmers also didn’t like horses. Life was much easier in the 1920s but rabbits in plague proportions caused havoc with crops.

The introduction of scheme water from Waddouring in 1928 was great for the towns and those farmers connected to it. In the following years increasing numbers of farms became stocked with sheep as dingoes were trapped and poisoned. The last dingo was trapped in 1935 although a couple strayed back into the area in the 1960s. The district’s population reached its peak in 1927, 2,250 people lived here then. The financial crash of 1929/30 saw wheat prices fall to 1/6 a bushel. Farmers who had borrowed heavily found themselves in the same position as many farmers today. Land values fell from around $10 per acre to $4 per acre, or less and their equity was. Many walked off the farms with virtually nothing. Unemployment reached 30% but banks continued to advance enough money to remaining farmers to enable them to exist and plant a crop. Horses again took over from tractors, cars and trucks, their fuel could be grown on the farm. Many families suffered real hunger both in the country and city. Boiled wheat and molasses as a meal was a reality for some. Mend and make do was the order of the times. Local storekeepers gave credit to large numbers of people for without their help some people could have starved. It took some people years to pay off these debts, but most of them were repayed. Many small businesses failed in these years. By the mid 1930s things improved a little, seasons were fairly dry and grasshoppers bred up on the abandoned farms in the Mukinbudin-Bonnie Rock areas causing many problems. Sheep added to farm income and slowly cars and trucks returned to the roads in numbers and new improved rubber tyred tractors were replacing the earlier steel wheeled models. Horses were gradually phased out and I believe that Arnold Brown’s was probably the last team to work in the district in 1948.

The Road Board during the intervening years had employed contractors and farmers to gravel and grade roads. Tracks were widened into roads; some of this work had been done by “sustenance gangs”, men given just enough work to enable them and their families to survive the depression. Much of the road works during the 1920s and ‘30s was carried out by Mr Archie Bunney, and his sons Ray and Bob along with Bill Lamond. Gravel was dug by pick and shovel and carted on a couple of ancient “Vulcan” tip trucks. A large part of the work done until the end of World War 2 consisted of filling pot holes and making roads passable. Gravel and dirt roads were corrugated to a degree many of our younger residents would not believe. Tracks along the railway line between Kununoppin and Trayning were used in preference to the road on many occasions. Finance was always a battle for the Roads Board. Over many years arrears in rates exceeded rate income! In one of the earliest years the secretary had to go on reduced wages for a time as there wasn’t enough money to pay him. The advent of war in 1939 again saw many men and women leave the district to join the services. Shortages of many things occurred, especially after the Japanese entered the war.

Rationing of petrol and shortages of kerosene for tractors (diesel engines were uncommon then) led to many farmers fitting gas producers to vehicles and tractors to keep them running. This removed a lot of wood from the countryside as it was burned to produce charcoal. It was hot, dirty work. Tea, sugar, butter, meat and clothing were all rationed; people had strong incentives to produce their own food. No one needed to go hungry but sacrifices had to be made to bake cakes. Superphosphate supplies were very limited and the quality reduced. Areas cropped were reduced and land cleared in the 30’s went back to bush again, especially the poorer wodgil soils. 1942 saw the Allied Works Council take over part of Mr D.A. Couper’s property at Kununoppin to build the airstrip. The threat of Japanese invasion was very real at this time. Many local people were employed to help construct the airstrip, farm tractors and scoops and single furrow ploughs were used to win gravel from the cemetery hill. The completion of the airstrip occurred about the time that the first success against the Japanese took place. The threat of invasion faded and apart from training exercises the strip was never used. After the war the land was handed back to the owner.

Crop spraying planes and an occasional private plane used the strip. It was not until the late 1970s that the Flying Doctor started using the strip. The ownership of the land had passed to Mr B. Watson and the Gent family. Mr Watson allowed the Lions Club to fence the strip and the Gents made extra land available to extend the strip. In 1991/92 Council purchased additional land from the Watsons and Gents and with financial help from Nungarin, Mukinbudin and Mt Marshall Shires installed full runway lighting. The airstrip is now to full D.C.A. standards. As the war went on, tyres became almost impossible to obtain. Old tyres were patched, recapped, sleeved – anything to keep them going. The social life of the area was enhanced with the establishment of the 5th Base Ordinance Depot at Nungarin. Some 1,200 men and women occupied this camp at one time. The workshops repaired tanks and vehicles. The troops patronised the dances and any sporting occasions. They also added to the sporting scene with a football team for a time. In the post war period, land that had been abandoned during the thirties was taken up by returning servicemen, new and bigger tractors became available and there was for the next decade an orgy of land clearing. Today we are replanting trees and trying to stem the encroachment of salinity that has resulted from these clearing excesses.

After World War 2 changes to the way roads were constructed and maintained were introduced. The Road Board bought its first tip truck and grader in 1947-48 and since that time has always had a works gang. Today’s good roads are a tribute to all the workers who have laboured effectively over the intervening years. Good plant, good workers and good organisation and supervision have made possible the amenities and infrastructure that we have today. The health of the district and that of the adjoining Shires has since 1925 been in the care of the Kununoppin Hospital and the doctors who have been associated with it. Before that time Merredin, Kellerberrin or Dowerin were the nearest sources of medical help. Mrs D. A. Couper was one of those who acted as midwife to many early mothers and any women with nursing experience were highly valued. Self medication often a packet of epsom salts was a common cure-all. Despite the crudity of some medication, people survived infections of many sorts. Poor diet and suspect water led to many problems. Barcoo rot, sores that didn’t heal, boils and a number of other problems have largely disappeared as frozen and fresh vegetables are available year round. We owe a debt of gratitude to all the many doctors and nurses together with the Hospital Board Members who have given loyal and unstinting service to our communities. The prosperity resulting from the wool prices of 1951-52 saw enormous strides made in the mechanisation of farms. New homes replaced ageing early constructions. The wet years of the early 60’s saw farms expand production and introduce new pastures. Sheep numbers rose. The drought of 1969 followed by mostly drier and some drought years has seen farmers again suffering some of the same effects as were experienced in the 1930s. Farming in recent years has suffered low prices, high interest rates, high input costs and several droughts. They have always had to cope with some of these things, but in recent times, these blights have occurred simultaneously. The effects on population have been devastating; there are less than 500 people in the Shire today.

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Old Court House in Fiennes Street, now used as Shire of Toodyay offices (2004)

is a town located in the Wheatbelt region in the Avon Valley, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth, Western Australia. Toodyay is connected to Perth via both rail and road.

History

The original village of Toodyay was one of the earliest inland towns in the State, established along the Avon River in 1836 after settlers including James Drummond, Captain Francis Whitfield and Alexander Anderson explored the area; Drummond established his homestead Hawthornden nearby. However, the location was subject to flooding which led to its abandonment in the 1850s, and a new townsite was established on higher ground 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) upstream. This was gazetted in 1860 as ‘Newcastle’ and the original settlement came to be referred to as ‘Old Toodyay’. In May 1910 due to confusion with the New South Wales city of Newcastle, Newcastle became known as ‘Toodyay’, and the original townsite, which had by this time declined substantially, became ‘West Toodyay’.

The meaning of the name is uncertain, although it is Noongar Indigenous in origin – maps in 1836 referred to “Duidgee”, while some believe it was named for a local woman named Toodyeep who accompanied early explorers in the area. Another source suggests it could mean “place of plenty”. However, this is a myth according to anthropologists Macintyre and Dobson (2011) whose ethnohistorical research suggests that “Duidgee” is the onomatopoeic call of a small bird, possibly the restless flycatcher or one of that family. According to Noongar belief, a bird calls its own name. It isn’t uncommon for places to be named after birds and their calls. This name “Duidgee” is preserved in the riverside recreation area “Duidgee Park”.

The Old Gaol

In 1861, Western Australia‘s best known bushranger, Moondyne Joe, was imprisoned in Toodyay for stealing a horse, but escaped. After a series of crimes and jail terms, he was on the run again, returning to Toodyay in 1865 to steal supplies for an attempt to escape overland to South Australia. The annual Moondyne Festival is a light-hearted celebration of this darker side of Toodyay’s history. The Newcastle Gaol, in Clinton Street, was completed in 1864 and in use as a state gaol until 1909. It is now preserved as the Old Gaol Museum; an historic building and tourist attraction.

In 1870, a steam-driven flour mill, Connor’s Mill, was built on Stirling Terrace by George Hasell. The mill was also used to generate electricity in the early part of the twentieth century. Saved from demolition in the 1970s, and restored to demonstrate the milling process and machinery, the mill now forms the museum section of the Toodyay Visitors Centre. The Heritage Council of Western Australia lists well over one hundred places of historical significance in or near Toodyay, including cottages (some of which are now ruins), homesteads, shops, churches, parks and railway constructions. The State Register of Heritage Buildings includes the Gaol, Connor’s Mill, Toodyay Public Library (built 1874), the old Toodyay Post Office (designed by George Temple-Poole, built 1897) and the old Toodyay Fire Station (designed by Ken Duncan, built 1938), as well as several other historic sites in Toodyay. Some of the historic architecture of shops and residences along Stirling Terrace, the main street, form a distinctive frontage described as the Stirling Terrace Streetscape Group. A number of the above historic buildings are listed on the Australian Heritage Database. Other buildings listed include Freemasons Hotel (built 1861), Victoria Hotel (built late 1890s) and Old Unwins Store on Stirling Terrace, and Butterly’s Cottage (built c. 1870) in Harper Road.

Transport

Memorial to James Drummond, botanist, in Pelham Reserve, overlooking the Toodyay townsite

Toodyay, being an historic township and an hour’s distance from Perth, is a venue for daytrippers, tourists and motorcyclists. The circuit – Toodyay Road through Gidgegannup / Toodyay / Chittering Valley and Great Northern Highway – is a favourite with motorcyclists. On most weekends, Toodyay’s main street is lined with cruisers and sportsbikes of many models, makes and vintages, their riders relaxing in the increasing number of pavement cafes that are springing up to accommodate the burgeoning tourist trade. Toodyay also serves as a stop on the Avonlink and Prospector passenger trains from Perth to Northam and Kalgoorlie.

Tourist Attractions

Toodyay has a number of tourist attractions, including olive oil farms, lavender farms, holiday retreats, hotels, cafes & restaurants, caravan parks, emu farm and an archery park.

2009 bushfire

A major bushfire on 29–30 December 2009, which broke out at approximately midday (AWST) on 29 December after temperatures reached 45.4 °C (113.7 °F) and the “catastrophic” fire risk rating had been used for the first time in the state, affected areas to the south, south-west and east of the town of Toodyay, with more than 3,000 hectares (7,410 acres) of forest burnt and 37 homes lost. The main impact of the fire appeared to be in the area of Stirlingia and Adenanthus Drives, although warnings had also been issued for the Wicklow Estate to the east of town, and Dumbarton Road to the south-east.

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Three Springs

Is located 313 km north of Perth, Western Australia on the Midlands Road. Wheat farming is the main industry. The first Europeans to pass through the Three Springs area were Lieutenant George Grey and his party in 1839. The next exploration of the area in 1846 was undertaken by brothers Henry, Francis and Augustus Gregory. This was a government sponsored trip to seek out new ‘runs’ for stock. During 1867, while surveyor Charles Cooke Hunt was undertaking a road survey, he recorded the words ‘Three Springs’ at the site of the current town after some nearby springs. The name began to appear on official maps from then on and land in this region was soon taken up for pastoral leasing.

When the Midland railway from Midland Junction to Walkaway was opened in 1895, Three Springs was a siding on the line, and the area really opened up. In 1907 the government decided to declare a townsite adjacent to the Three Springs Station, and it was gazetted as Kadathinni in 1908. It was also intended to change the name of the station when the townsite was named, but this was overlooked, and it remained Three Springs. The townsite was also locally known as Three Springs, and in 1946 the name was officially changed to Three Springs to conform with local usage. Luzenac, an Imerys company, operates the largest talc mine in the southern hemisphere just outside the Three Springs townsite. Up until 2004, the talc was railed to Geraldton for export. Banksia trifontinalis (Three Springs Dryandra) is named after this town, in the vicinity of which it was first collected.

Shire Of Three Springs

The Community

Agricultural Hall in Three Springs

Offering all the services and amenities that people have come to expect in recent years with high standard medical, educational and recreational facilities the Three Springs community continues to thrive. Our Shire is also renowned for a variety of rare flora one of these species the Eucalyptus Rhodantha (Rose Mallee) is the town and shire emblem and the basis of the colour scheme used throughout this site. The community spirit that country Australia is renowned for is alive and well in Three Springs with active community groups including Lions, Tidy Towns, Red Cross, FESA and RSL. Sport plays an important role within our community with a strong support network for both winter and summer sport committees. Facilities include ovals, swimming pool, golf course, bowling green, tennis courts and clay pigeon. A variety of industries operate in the Three Springs area including sheep, pigs, cattle, wheat and a wide range of cereal crops, wildflower farming and mining. This diversity combined with government service providers including Western Power, Water Corporation,  Education and Health Departments provide employment opportunities for members of our community.

Heritage Walk

Eucalyptus Rose Mallee

A walk through this mini trail will give you a brief outline of the history of the Three Springs area, while viewing wildflowers, which are local to the area along the way. There is an information board and barbeque facilities situated at the start of the heritage walk.

Eucalyptus Rose Mallee

The Eucalyptus Rose Mallee (botanical name of Eucalyptus Rhodantha) is a rare species of eucalypt and can be viewed at the Three Springs Hospital Grounds. This plant is the floral emblem of Three Springs. The Eucalyptus Rose Mallee can be found on Sweetman Road 18km south west of Three Springs between June and October.

Early History of Three Springs

Leah & Reuben Carter

The district of Three Springs received its name after three freshwater springs situated about one mile north of what is now the Three Springs townsite. The area of the springs had been surveyed by Sir John Forrest in 1872, and in his field book he showed “The Three Springs” on Victoria Location 482. Prior to 1906 pastoralists ran livestock on portions of the district and the only resident settlers were a few railway workers. The government had plans for an experimental farm west of the railway line, but instead threw it open for selection in 1906 under the name of the Kadathinni Agricultural Area. The first seven men who made an application for a holding were Walter Browning, John A. Richardson, Charles F. Thomas, Reuben Carter, Ernest T. C. Klopper, Henry K. Maley, and Solomon S. Maley.

The first to take up residence on his holding was Reuben Carter, who arrived with his wife Leah and their son Herbert on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1906. After making a makeshift home Charles F. Thomas, his wife Winifred and their six children shifted to their holding on 8 April 1906. Other settlers who followed included Franklin Bros., Stephen J. H. Morgan, Henry H. Richardson, William J. Howard, John G. Wilson, Gilford Haines, James K. Hebiton, Ernest T. C. Klopper, Solomon S. Maley, Charles C. Maley, and Isaac Wallace . In 1909 the Midland Railway Company surveyed and put up for sale a large area east of the railway line that had previously been leased by Michael Brown. This resulted in a second influx of settlers including Philip Lynch, George R. Watson, Arthur D. Glyde, Bastian Bros., Charles H. Gooch, Henry J. Page, Frederick W. Sluggett, William Oats, Frederick Hornsby, Franz L. Arndt, Robert A. Caldow, and William Dean.

Charles F. & Winifred Thomas

The first wheat grown in the Kadathinni Agricultural Area was fifteen acres grown and cut for hay by Charles F. Thomas in 1906. Rainfall records were inaugurated in 1907 and kept by John L. Hebiton. The first public body was the Kadathinni Farmers & Progress Association which was formed in 1908. Gilford Haines and Charles F. Thomas were the Association’s first chairman and secretary, and in 1909 were respectively followed by Stephen J. H. Morgan and Evander W. Franklin. The progress association did much to advance the district in which the needs of the new settlement were many and the amenities few. In 1911 some of its accomplishments were the construction of the first town dam, the appointment of a resident police officer (Const. William Walker), and the appointment of a local Justice of the Peace (James K. Hebiton Snr). Other local organisations formed included football and race clubs in 1910, and a rifle club in 1915.

Initially there was only a railway siding at Three Springs, with trains stopping to let down passengers or when called upon to do so. Trains were stopped by the intending passenger holding up a red disc in the daytime or a light at night. Following the district’s advancement and increased settlement the Midland Railway Company upgraded the siding to a station in 1910, and Arthur S. Mortimer was transferred to Three Springs to fulfil the duties of stationmaster. The district made rapid growth for several years. The first school was a private one on Charles F. Thomas’ farm, the teacher being Charles Howes, known to the early settlers as “Le Grondeur.” A State School was opened in the townsite in the latter part of 1908, the first teacher being Miss Dagmar Koch, who in 1910 was succeeded by Arthur W. V. Green. A Dominican Convent, including a school, was established in Three Springs in 1917.

Inaugural Three Springs Football Team in 1909

The first shop, which was a newsagency, was opened in 1909 by James J. Brown and initially conducted by Charles McKay (a Scot known as “Old Mac”). Later in 1909 a small general store was opened by James J. M. Groffier and C. Septimus Pizey, trading as Groffier & Pizey. In the same year “Dave” David Todd opened a blacksmith’s shop. Dave was an excellent tradesman and helped in no small measure in the development of the district by making and mending farmers’ requisites in the old horse team days. Also in 1909 Michael J. Ryan opened a general store in the building later occupied by the Duffy family. Mick conducted his store successfully for several years and almost acquired fame by the quaint sign over his door, which told all and sundry that it was “Mick Ryan’s Unlimited Credit Store.” Mick spent valuable time explaining to good buyers with no money that he wanted them to see unlimited credit.

James J. Brown and Stephen Sheridan opened a general store in partnership in late 1909 or early 1910, which they sold to William Harris in 1911, who afterwards sold it to James A. Whitelaw. Later again, in 1920, it was sold to the North Midlands Farmers’ Co-Operative Company Limited, who used it for their store until having new premises built in 1941. Amongst the first managers of the Co-Operative store were Charles E. Wright, John M. Donnes, James K. Hebiton Snr, Norman L. Skewes, Harold Barnett and Henry W. Smith. By mid 1910 Mrs Blanche M. Koch had opened a tearooms and boarding house known as the Three Springs Coffee Palace, which was successfully operated by herself until 1932 and then by her daughter Mrs Clare Black. Also during the year 1910 a bakery was established by Isaac Wallace, and Alfred J. Carlisle opened a photographic studio. In 1911 another store was opened by Thomas J. Berrigan, who also carried machinery, stock, insurance and other agencies. Edmund K. Byrne opened a butcher’s shop in 1911, which was conducted by his elder sons until 1919 when it was taken over by Thomas K. Bickell.

Butcher's Shop in Slaughter Street C.1917

In 1910 Mrs Jane Terry established the Commercial Hotel with a wine and beer license and in 1911, after extensive alterations, secured a general publican’s license. The hotel was later conducted by Lewis R. Hassel, William H. Angove, Nathaniel McKenzie, Randolph Barnhart (who had new hotel premises built), Vincent P. Tippett, William A. Duncan, and John J. Thorpe. Mrs Daisy Starling, wife of the local railway ganger, acted as mail receiver as early as 1907. A postal service was later given by Mrs Blanche M. Koch and Miss Claire Koch, the mother and sister of the first state school teacher. During the latter part of 1910 the first official post and telegraph office was opened in part of the local store owned by Brown & Sheridan. Charles H. Nicholson was the first postmaster and filled the position until May 1912, when Charles E. Luscombe took over and carried on until his retirement in September 1947. About 1913 the post office was moved to a house on Touche Street, formerly occupied by Stephen Sheridan, business being conducted through a window with a ledge on the front verandah for about four or five years, after which a separate room for postal business was built on land alongside the house. This house, also previously used as the postmaster’s quarters, was now used solely for this purpose. During 1914 telephone facilities were established with six subscribers, and shortly afterwards private boxes were installed. After many applications and deputations Three Springs was granted new official post office premises, which were opened by Senator Patrick J. Lynch of Three Springs on 12 August 1938.

First Three Springs Hospital

The National Bank of Australasia Limited opened a receiving office in Three Springs in 1909, and a branch in 1926. Among the branch’s earliest managers were Maurice A. Buck, Charles S. Macdonald, John J. Kelleher, R. Keith Whitlock, and Christopher B. Thomas. In 1928 the English, Scottish & Australian (E., S. & A.) Bank established its first Western Australian country branch at Three Springs. The local E. S. & A. Bank was managed by Clement L. Evans for three years and then by Raymond Shaw.

The first town hall, known as the Agricultural Hall, was built by a contractor named Brock and was opened on 29 June 1912. The opening ceremony was performed by James Gardiner who was the Midland Railway Company’s Land Agent and later the Legislative Assembly Member for Irwin. The hall cost £650, with the Government at that time subsidising the building of agricultural halls on a pound for pound basis. The music for the dance which followed the opening ceremony was provided by Miss Winifred M. Thomas. One speech made at the function was a toast to “Town and Trade,” proposed by the then resident school teacher. The speaker emphasised how grateful the residents were to the business people, who came out into a new area, risked their money in setting up business and catered for the settlers’ needs, adding that even if they charged 300% more for their goods than applied elsewhere the settlers were still grateful to them for the service they rendered.

Harvesting in 1956 on Golden West Farm

In the early days of the settlement a sports meeting known as the “Three Springs Day” was held on the third Thursday in September, with Charles F. Thomas as secretary. In 1927 the Three Springs Agricultural Society was formed and held its first show on 20 September 1928. This fixture took the place of the “Three Springs Day,” the secretarial duties for the show also initially being carried out by Charles F. Thomas. Other events in the early years included the annual race meeting conducted by the Three Springs Race Club, and a race and sports meeting held each year on Saint Patrick’s Day. The early settlers of the Roman Catholic Church were cared for by Rev. Fathers O’Heir, Ahern and Scanlon. A Roman Catholic Church was built in 1911 and a Dominican Convent opened on 28 January 1917. The Three Springs Parish was created in 1921, the first Parish Priest being the Rev. Father Mark L. Hart, who was followed by Rev. Fathers P. James Tymons, John Flahavan, Michael Lynch, and Bryan Gallagher. The first resident Methodist Missioner was appointed in 1914 and was Rev. James W. Bayliss. Rev. Bayliss was succeeded by Horace E. Weavers, James R. Elms, Henry P. V. Christiansen, Alexander W. James and Thomas Cook. The spiritual welfare of the Anglican settlers was initially cared for by the Rev. Ernest Gill of Dongara, a quaint old Anglican Minister, who made periodical visits as far as Three Springs. Rev. Gill was succeeded in Dongara by Rev. Walter B. Kenworthy, who also visited Three Springs. A very keen worker for the local Anglican church in the early days was Mrs Blanche Koch. In 1928 a rectory was built in Three Springs and E. Godfrey Jaquet travelled from England to became the district’s first resident rector. The Anglican Church of Saint James in Three Springs was licensed on 15 April 1932 by the Most Rev. Henry F. Le Fanu, the second Archbishop of Perth. The locally raised funds towards the Church were due largely to the enthusiasm of Mrs Maude F. James. Following Rev. Jaquet’s departure the Parish was conducted by Rev. Edward Chard and then Rev. Alfred J. Toomey.

Hay cutting on Carter's farm in 1909

The district’s first doctor was Dr James P. McAleer, later the Mayor of Geraldton, who commenced practice in Three Springs in 1921. In 1924 a cottage hospital was opened in a farmhouse on Charles C. Maley’s Parakalia about one mile west of the town. The cottage hospital was later moved to another farmhouse about one mile north east of the town, and also owned by Charles C. Maley. Following Dr McAleer’s departure Dr Mario A. Mayrhofer faithfully served the district as resident doctor from mid 1926 until his death in 1950. In 1926 a meeting was held to have a new official hospital built. The building committee consisted of Dr Mario A. Mayrhofer (chairman), Keith S. Glyde, Sydney C. Gooch, Albert R. Strutton and James K. Hebiton (secretary). The North Midlands District Hospital was opened four years later on 27 June 1930. The building cost £4,410, of which £2,204 was subsidised by the Government. The locally raised portion was obtained mainly through subscriptions, the largest of £200 coming from the North Midlands Farmers’ Co-Operative Company Limited. In 1937 nurse’s quarters were built alongside the hospital. In 1929 an electric light and power station was established in the Three Springs townsite by Henry Parkin & Son of Carnamah. The power station was later conducted by William A. Rogers, Leslie J. Carter, and Arthur H. Dargin. The station received a concession from the Three Springs Road Board conditional to it providing certain services, such as lighting street lights at night and providing a full day of power one day a week for domestic ironing purposes.

Three Springs Railway Station in 1917

As a wheat growing district Three Springs soon proved its worth. In 1931-32 the Three Springs district obtained the highest average yield for the State, and this achievement was commemorated by a dinner arranged by the wheat growers of the district and held in the Commercial Hotel on 26 August 1932. At a World Grain Exhibition held in Canada in 1933 two prizes were won by Three Springs farmers in Evander W. Franklin and James K. Hebiton Snr. Initially Three Springs was part of the Upper Irwin Road Board, which was based at Mingenew and in 1919 was renamed the Mingenew Road Board. Three Springs farmers Charles C. Maley, Francis J. Morgan and Frederick E. S. James all served terms representing the district as members on the Upper Irwin / Mingenew Road Board. In 1923 the southern portion of the Mingenew Road Board, spanning from Three Springs to Gunyidi, became the Carnamah District Road Board. Archibald Bastian and Frederick E. S. James were the Foundation Members for Three Springs on the Carnamah District Road Board, and Frederick E. S. James was Chairman of the Board in 1925 and 1926. Others who represented Three Springs on the Carnamah District Road Board were Nathaniel McKenzie, Edmund K. Byrne and Evander W. Franklin. In 1929 a Road Board was formed at Three Springs consisting of Three Springs, Arrino and Dudawa. The inaugural members of the Three Springs Road Board were Edward Hunt (chairman), Edmund K. Byrne, William D. S. Smith, Albert I. Broad, William Mutter, Charles F. Thomas Snr and Henry J. W. Sweetman. Following a change in the Local Government Act the Three Springs Road Board became the Three Springs Shire Council in 1961.

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Tammin townsite

Tammin is located in the central agricultural region, 184 kilometres (114 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia  and midway between the towns of Cunderdin and Kellerberrin on the Great Eastern Highway.

History

The first European to settle in the area was John Packham in 1893. The railway to Southern Cross was constructed through the area in 1894-95, and Tammin was one of the original stations when the line opened in 1895. As the surrounding area developed for agriculture, there was sufficient demand for land in the area for the government to declare a townsite, and Tammin townsite was gazetted in 1899.

Tammin is an Aboriginal name derived from the nearby Tammin Rock, a name first recorded by the explorer Charles Cooke Hunt in 1864. The rock possibly derives its name from the “Tammar”, the Aboriginal name of the “Black Gloved Wallaby” which was once found in this area. Another source records it as possibly meaning “a grandmother or a grandfather”. It also serves as a stop on the Prospector and Avonlink rural train services.

Shire of Tammin

Tammin Hall

Shire of Tammin is a Local Government Area located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Its seat of government is the town ofTammin, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Merredin and about 180 kilometres (112 mi) east of Perth, the state capital. Originally the area was governed by the Meckering Road Board (now the neighbouring Shire of Cunderdin). In 1948, the Tammin Road Board was gazetted, and on 1 July 1961, it became a Shire Council following changes to the Local Government Act.

Wards

The shire has never had wards, and all 6 councillors sit at large. The Shire President is elected from amongst the councillors.

Hunts Well

Hunts Well is a historical site located a few kilometres south of Tammin. It was once used as a watering point for prospectors and others en route to the Goldfields. It is worth stopping to see this important part of the state’s history whilst out viewing the regions wildflowers. The well is named after explorer Charles Cooke Hunt (1833 to 1868) who passed by the area a number of times on his explorations out from York. Wells and dams such as Hunts Well can be found intermittently along the routes he travelled.

Hunts Well

Most of the wells have fallen into disrepair. However, Hunts Well and nearby Tammin Tank have been restored by the local community to reflect their original appearance. It is a pleasant spot to stop for a picnic utilising the tables provided. Tammin is a three hour drive north east of Perth.

Tammin Hydrology Model and Amphitheatre – Kadjininy Kep

Kadjininy Kep was officially opened in April 2005 – a project that features an interactive working Hydrology Model depicting a typical wheatbelt landscape showing how farming land is being lost to salinity and offering some long term solutions. The 500 seat amphitheatre is used for numerous local artistic and cultural events. Shady grassed areas with barbeque facilities are also available for day trips or when passing through.

Charles Gardner Nature Reserve

This 799 hectare reserve is just 15 km south of Tammin and is popular during winter and spring when the reserve is ablaze with a variety of wildflowers, some of which are not found anywhere else in Western Australia.  Charles Gardner Nature Reserve was classified as an ‘A’ class conservation reserve in 1958 and is a floristically diverse nature reserve of value both botanically and historically. A district herbarium is established in the old railway station, enabling tourists and landcare groups to identify local flora and assist in collection of seeds of endangered species. Named after Charles Gardner, who was Western Australia’s Government Botanist from 1929 to 1950. Gardner contribution included defining the plant regions of the state and his 1935 ‘West Australian Wildflowers’ (West Australian Newspapers Ltd) an extremely popular publication, going through several revisions and is still in print as ‘Wildflowers of Western Australia’. Over his 50 years, collecting, identifying and naming plants, he described eight new genera and about 200 new species. As well as his publications, his greatest legacy is his plant specimens, estimated to be between 9,000 to 10,000, which form the Western Australian Herbarium.

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Tambellup main street

Is located in Western Australia‘s Great Southern Agricultural region, 317 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway where it crosses the Gordon River. It is 23 km south of Broomehill. The area around Tambellup was first settled by pastoralists in the late 1840s, and in 1849 the Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, when passing through the area, referred to Morrison’s south west station at “Tambul-yillup”. The area was later settled by the Norrish family, and the spelling commonly used for the place then was “Tambellelup”.

When the Great Southern Railway was opened in 1889 a station was established at Tambellup, and it appears that the shortened version of the name was created by the railway, as the timetable in 1889 uses the Tambellup spelling. Tambellup was gazetted a townsite in 1899. The meaning of this Aboriginal name is not known, although one source gives it as “place of thunder” (from Toombellanup). Another explanation is that Tambellup cames means “the place of many Tammars”, Tammar being the Noongar word for a small marsupial that used to frequent the area. Tambellup’s main street is Norrish Street, named after its first European settler, Josiah Norrish (1841-1884), who in 1872 was attracted to the area by its large stands of Santalum spicatum (commonly known as sandalwood). Today, the main industry in Tambellup is sheep farming, while sandalwood continues as a distant second. Much of the sandalwood is exported, and used in the manufacture of joss sticks.

The Gordon River has flooded several times since Tambellup was established. The first recorded flood was in 1913, then again in 1937, then a major flood in 1955 when the river rose 6 metres (20 ft) resulting in some parts of the town being 1 metre (3 ft) underwater. In

Tambellup Old Petrol Station

January 1982, a decaying tropical cyclone passed over the catchment area feeding the Gordon River causing it to flood the town. Much of the town, including the main street, was covered to a depth of about 1 metre (3 ft).

Memorable Places in Tambellup

The Old Petrol Station

Most of the travelers when the visit the town of Tambellup they never forget to missed to pull into the Old Petrol Station on Garrity Street “Great Southern Highway”. This BIG Old Petrol Station is located right part on the highway, wherein all of the attendants are also can share or guide in term for motoring needs. When you get park your vehicles you can walk around along the Old Petrol Station.

The Tambellup Heritage Trail

To the north of the Town Loop, the trail runs upstream of the main bridge, across the river, where much of the social history of the European settler community occurred. This is a series of three inter-connecting trails that starts in the centre of town and takes in much of the history of the early settlement. Because much of the Noongar history of the area is centred on the Gordon River, the trail continues south of the town to the site of the former Aboriginal Reserve.

Picnic spots

Picnic Spots, Tambellup

After roaming around the place if you feel something to eat and drink, you can visit to Tambellup Settlers Mart or the Tambellup Deli and pick the most beautiful part to do picnic. Try the hushed surrounds and black swans at the Gordon River Reserve, or perhaps Diprose Park, which has a children’s play area, toilets and free barbecue facilities under the shade of magnificent gum trees. Don’t feel like picnicking? Well, try the Post Cafe for some ambrosial lunch’s or coffee and cake or the Tambellup Hotel, which also serves meals, where you can get a blizzardly-cold drink. If you like the atmosphere of old country pubs, where people actually talk to each other, make sure you visit this one.

Community Mosaics 

Representing Tambellup’s strong sense of community, a collective effort from young and old put together this elaborate representation of Tambellup, displayed in a mosaic art form on the front of the Shire administration building. It depicts imagery of the Gordon River and its significance in Tambellup’s history. Pavers set in the footpath, created by local schoolchildren, compliment the artwork.

Tambellup Caravan Park

Tambellup, WA

has powered sites and new, clean decontamination facilities, located under shady pine trees near the sports oval. A perfect place to park and contemplate in peace and quiet on your travels down the Great Southern Highway. Washing machine and dryer is available for use.

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City of Subiaco council chambers

Is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco. The City of Subiaco is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It covers an area of approximately 7 km² in inner western metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia and lies about 3 km west of the Perth CBD.

History

Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people. The area was settled in 1851 by Italian Benedictine monks. The monks named the area after Subiaco in Italy, the location where Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Order of Saint Benedict, had begun his work. The area was transformed over the last half of the 20th century from an older working class area to one of Perth’s most fashionable suburbs.

Landmarks

Landmarks of the suburb include Subiaco Oval, Mueller Park, the Regal Theatre, the Subiaco Hotel, the Victorian Terraces on Catherine Street, the Colonnade and Subi Centro and the Subiaco Theatre Centre. The main street of Subiaco is Rokeby Road which is named after Lord Rokeby. Another important commercial road is Hay Street.

City of Subiaco

Residential areas include Subi Centro, a modern housing development with the sunken Subiaco railway station on reclaimed industrial land near Wembley, and older heritage properties towards Shenton Park. Major hospital facilities include St John of God Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women. School facilities include Subiaco Primary School and Perth Modern School, which is renowned for being the oldest government school as well as the only academically selective school in Western Australia.

Events

Subiaco Street Festival is held every year as a street party on Rokeby Road and Hay Street and includes live entertainment and games.

Sister cities

The City has sister “city” arrangements with the towns of Subiaco, Arkansas and Subiaco, Italy.

Subiaco Attractions

George’s Meze

Situated in central Subiaco and located in one of Subiaco’s typical, charming old heritage houses, George’s Mezé is an ideal location for

George's Meze

both business lunches or dinners, or getting together with friends. Our warm and friendly atmosphere, as well as our award-winning Greek-Mediterranean delicacies makes people feel relaxed and happy. We offer a charming and cosy indoor area with rustic old floorboards, lead light and not to forget, George the big fish in a big aquarium.

But nothing is more enjoyable than, on a warm sunny day, sitting in our idyllic, Greek Island style garden, listen to the gentle flow of the fountain while sipping on a glass of Ouzo or beautiful wine. Every Friday and Saturday night you can enjoy an entertaining belly dancing performance. We are fully licensed and offer a variety of mainly Australian and Greek quality wines. For people with their own laptops, we offer free wireless internet access. We are located next to a big public car park.

Subi Farmers Market

Subi Farmers Market is a vibrant community facility providing fresh, nutritious food, for the benefit of your health, your kids and the environment. A fun, village atmosphere with live music and a place for kids to play, provides the perfect setting for the farm fresh produce available. You’ll find everything you need for your weekly

Subi Farmers Market

shopping. Produce ranges from quality fruit and vegetables, seafood, meat, dairy products and bread to speciality produce including olive oil, nuts, teas, spices, honey and preserves – as well as fresh flowers and plants. Produce comes from all over Western Australia, from as far away as Albany and Carnarvon but also has many local stallholders baking or producing delicious food.

Also on offer is a fantastic range of breakfast and morning tea options and of course, great coffee courtesy of Luke – Subiaco’s renowned barista! With an emphasis on organic, bio-dynamic produce and the support of sustainable agriculture, they are determined to make a difference globally with this local event. Demonstrations from chefs, health experts and gardening gurus are planned throughout the year to showcase some of the wonderful produce Western Australia has on offer and to educate on food and environmental issues.

Subiaco Hotel

Subiaco Hotel where Perth Meets! Situated close to the city in one of Perth’s most cosmopolitan suburbs, the Subiaco Hotel has become an established place for style-setters to meet. The award winning restaurant, which is open from 7am until late seven days a

Subiaco Hotel

week, has a menu which mixes modern bistro favourites with more cutting edge dishes, successfully. With Perth’s great weather, Western Australian people are attracted to al fresco dining and the infectious atmosphere of the Subi can be enjoyed with a beer in the courtyard, a cocktail in the bar or listening to a jazz combo in the cafe. The Subi, as it is colloquially known, offers a mood for everyone.

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Is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located about 10 km north of Perth’s central business district (CBD) along theMitchell Freeway. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling, whose council offices and administration centre are located in the southwest of the mostly residential suburb.

History

Stirling is named after James Stirling, the first Western Australian governor (1829–1838). The name was approved in April 1976 at the request of theCity of Stirling, as the area contained the Council’s headquarters. The suburb was part of Balcatta until 1976. Throughout the wetland regions, Aboriginals hunted for kangaroo, emu, snakes, tortoise, mudfish, gilgies and water birds and their eggs, to name a few food sources. Aboriginal sites are known to have existed in a few locations in the Gwelup-Balcatta region.

Early European settlement (to 1960)

The area’s first European settlement was as an extension of the Osborne Park market area. Its initial growth in importance as an agricultural area in the 1920s came from three major factors: retired Chinese miners from the Eastern Goldfields, the post-World War I Soldier Settlement Scheme (many of whom had no experience in intensive farming), and an influx of Italians prior to Mussolini’s effective banning of emigration in 1927, who mostly started life in Western Australia as miners and woodcutters. Dino Gava noted: “The process of (Italian) chain migration was strong in Osborne Park and Wanneroo. They arrived ill-prepared with regard to language

Toodyay Connors Mill 2004, Stirling WA

and education but their youth and willingness to work made them desirable settlers.” By 1935, the area was producing all sorts of fruit and vegetables, and a 1961 newspaper reported that “hundreds of acres are under cultivation, (and) nearly all types of vegetable are produced in the area. Part of the produce is exported to other countries.”

Suburban development (1960-)

Major changes occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. The main access to the area from Perth was via Wanneroo Road and Balcatta Beach Road, a road which roughly corresponded to Karrinyup Road but included modern-day North Beach Drive and Osborne Place. Hertha Road (now Civic Place and Telford Crescent) was the main road in the area, and the site of the present-day footbridge was the municipal rubbish tip until the early 1970s. The Osborne Park hospital was opened on 4 April 1962 and the civic centre and council chambers were opened in 1966, along with houses in the George Street area near the civic centre. The postal district was approved and gazetted in April 1976, and over the next eight years, most of the suburb was subdivided and built.

The building of the Mitchell Freeway to Karrinyup Road in 1983-84 facilitated the growth of Stirling as a regional hub, and the bus/train interchange (on the Joondalup railway line) was completed in 1992. As at 2006, some subdivisions in the Stirling region are still being developed.

Geography

Stirling is an oddly-shaped suburb carved out of western Balcatta and northern Osborne Park. It is bounded Mitchell Freeway between Erindale Roadand Hutton Street on the west and south, Amelia and Poincaire Streets to the north, and an uneven line running roughly south from Jones Street’s north-south section to the east. Lake estates and public parks, including the Stirling Civic Gardens, make up a moderate percentage of the suburb’s area.

Stirling cottage gnangarra

At the ABS 2001 census, Stirling had a population of 5,752 people living in 2,159 dwellings, many of which are single detached dwellings, many of them two-storey brick on relatively large lots. The suburb is one of Perth’s most ethnically diverse – in 2001, 33% were of Italian descent, 15% ofSouth Slavic, 6% Asian and 4% Greek, and this reflects strongly in the architectural styles which have been adopted in the area.

Facilities

Stirling is host to the Osborne Park Hospital, a 205-bed community general hospital which offers some specialist services as well as radiology and pathology. There are no schools within the suburb, although Balcatta Senior High School is located on the northern boundary (Poincaire Street) and numerous primary schools are located in nearby Gwelup, Osborne Park and Balcatta.

Stirling relies on the Stirling Village shopping centre, containing an IGA and specialty stores, in Cedric Street for basic commercial services, and Karrinyup Shopping Centre for other services. Numerous reserves and sports grounds are scattered throughout the area. The Stirling Lions soccer club is based just outside the suburb.

Transport

Stirling is served by the Stirling train station, which is a 9-minute commute to the Perth CBD. Services through the suburb include the Transperth 414 bus route running along Cedric Street between Stirling and Glendalough, the 276/278 routes from Perth which services Hamilton Street in the suburb’s southeast, and the CircleRoute along lower Cedric Street and Karrinyup Road. The Public Transport Authority is responsible for these services.

Politics

Stirling is a mixed-wealth suburb with many “mortgage belt” families. In 2001, 52% of the suburb’s population were from Southern Europe, and the Balcatta Central and Osborne Park booths are among the northern suburbs’ few genuinely marginal booths at federal level. However, they strongly support the Australian Labor Party at state elections.

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Empire Day celebrations in Hack Street, Sandstone. 1909.

Is a small town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The town is located 157 kilometres east of Mount Magnet and 661 kilometres north of the state capital, Perth. At the 2006 census, Sandstone and the surrounding area had a population of 119.

All about Sandstone

The town was first settled in 1894 as part of a gold rush after a team of prospectors including Ernest Shillington first discovered gold about 20km south of the present townsite. Following the influx of miners the local progress association requested that a townsite be declared in 1905. Correspondence of the time shows that the area was locally known as Hans Irvine’s Find and that a large amount of money had been spent on building hotels, banks and other services required by the residents. The townsite was gazetted as Sandstone in 1906.

By 1907 the population of the town had swelled to 6,000–8,000 and it boasted four hotels, four butchers, two banks, a staffed police station and many other stores. A brewery was also constructed in 1907 by an Irishman, I.V. Kearney, to satisfy the local demand. He built the brewery on a breakaway on top of a cliff about 35 feet high. Water was pumped to the top level for brewing and the beer was stored in the cellars below to keep it cool even in the hotter weather. In 1910 the railway was extended to Sandstone but the population had declined to about 200 people and many buildings had been pulled down, removed or left derelict. The Jundoo Dam was completed in 1910 to provide water for the steam trains; the dam could hold three-and-a-half million gallons of water and cost £5,000 to build. Most of the original dam works still exist today.

A state-run battery operated in the town from 1904 to 1982. The remains of these are located along the Menzies Road. Today, Sandstone is the administrative centre of the Shire of Sandstone Local Government Area. Sights to see include London Bridge, a natural bridge, which is part of the Sandstone Heritage Trail. It was the inspiration for the mining town in Randolph Stow’s 1963 novel Tourmaline. The smallest of the hotels built in town, The National Hotel constructed in 1909 from locally made bricks, is the only one left remaining.

Sandstone Gold Mine

Sandstone Traditional Attractions

The Sandstone Gold Mine is a gold mine located 6 km south east of Sandstone, Western Australia. It is currently owned by Troy Resources NL. While not a particularly large mine, Sandstone has been very profitable for Troy in the past, having been the lowest-cost gold producing mine in Australia in the early 2000s.

History

Gold mining at the Sandstone area stretches back over the past century. In 1894 a prospector discovered gold about 20 km south of present day Sandstone and, in 1903, gold was found within a few hundred meters of the town. From 1903 to 1916, 930,000 ounces of gold were mined in town. With the outbreak of the First World War, the fortunes of the mine, and the town, declined and the population in Sandstone fell from a high of 8,000 in 1906 to approximately 200 in 1919.

The current incarnation of the mine however dates back to 1990, when Herald Resources Limited begun milling operations. In 1999, Troy took ownership of the operations. Troy commenced production at the Bulchina mine at Sandstone in 2002, which lasted until early 2005 and produced 223,000 ounces of gold. The company discovered two more gold deposits in the Sandstone region in 2004, the Lord Henry and the Lord Nelson deposits, located approximately 30 kilometres south east of Bulchina.

Mining commenced at the Lord Nelson deposit in early 2005 and at the Lord Henry deposit a year later. The Company upgraded the Sandstone milling facilities in early 2005 to be able to process 600,000 tonnes per annum. In January 2009 it was announced that the Sandstone operation, which was to close in February that year, would remain active because of higher gold prices, which made processing low grade ore from Lord Nelson more profitable. The mine is now scheduled to close in September 2010.

State Battery

Further up the track from the State of Battery is the town’s most interesting natural phenomenon – London Bridge. It is the most

London Bridge

spectacular and unusual of sandstone breakaways in the area and, in the early 1900s, was so large that carts could pass both across it and through it. The sandstone in this area is estimated to be 350 million years old. The bridge itself is nearly 800 meters long and at the center is 10 meters high. It is now regarded as too dangerous to walk on.

London Bridge

The sandstone area has countless natural rock formations or breakaways which contrast dramatically with the rust stained landscapes. Believed to be 350-million years old, one of the most spectacular breakaways known as “London Bridge” was once wide enough to allow and horse and sulky to cross. Over the years however, it has been eroded to its present width of one meter. London bridge is now popular place for family picnics.

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South Perth as viewed from Kings Park

Is a residential suburb 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, which adjoins the southern shore of Perth Water on the Swan River. The suburb adjoins two major arterial roads—Canning Highway and the Kwinana Freeway—and is within the City of South Perth local government area.

History

Pre-European History

The history of the area now known as South Perth before permanent European settlement was broadly similar to that in other parts of what became the Swan River Colony. The area was probably inhabited by peoples of the Noongar tribes, and they had little contact with other peoples. EarlyDutch and French explorers reported their presence, but no recorded contact was made. No contact is known to have been made with travellers from any other country. The Dutch expedition commanded by Willem de Vlaming in 1697 was the first to discover the major river and note the presence of black swans on the river. They named it the Swan River.

Early European settlement

After the permanent settlement of the British and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, most development tended to take place north rather than south of the Swan River in the town of Perth and also in Fremantle, the port suburb. The area was already unofficially known as “South Perth” but was relatively untouched. By 1831, the land along the river frontage had been allocated amongst seven people, and the land was being partially utilised for agriculture and dairy farms. A mill was built in 1833 and a ferry across the Swan river via the Narrows was established.

Established settlement

There was some conflict between the European settlers and Indigenous Australians, in which one of the leaders was a chief known as Yagan. After his death, local leadership went to a chief variously known as Galute or Kalyute. He led further resistance, but this was countered by a punitive expedition, which resulted in the deaths of fifteen Aboriginal people and the end of organised resistance.

South Perth foreshore

By the 1850s, there was some further development of the area, with more ferry connections and the construction of the Causeway and the Canning Bridge. The area was further surveyed and lots allocated to pensioners. By 1858, the area was officially marked on maps as “South Perth” and some roads had been constructed.

The 1860s saw the realisation that large-scale farming in the district had no future, although dairying, timber cutting and vegetable growing continued. By the 1880s, a number of Chinese gardeners had arrived and they set up market gardens on land on the foreshore, between Suburban Road (now Mill Point Road) and the Swan River. After the discovery of gold in Kalgoorlie in 1893, a number of Chinese, who had been unable to take up Miners Rights in the goldfields for racial reasons, joined them in South Perth. The Chinese worked very hard and grew good quality fruit and vegetables, which the local population were happy to buy. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the Chinese started to market their produce to the wider population of Perth via the James Street markets. The Chinese market gardens successfully operated for many years, despite many attempts by local authorities to serve them with notices allegeing uncleanliness or health hazards. They lasted until the 1950s.

With the help of convict labour, the district received more settlement and better roads. Nevertheless, the South Perth area still had a small population.

The 1880s South Perth land boom

The real estate boom of the 1880s, which coincided with the discovery of gold in the Kimberley saw a slow but appreciable growth in the number of residents. Several of Perth’s more substantial citizens saw South Perth as a peaceful and tranquil suburb, and by the end of the 1890s, the population was about 400, with many elegant homes. The Zoological Gardens and the Royal Perth Golf Club were opened in 1898 and the area became popular with tourists from the town of Perth across the river.

Attractions

Perth Zoo

Perth Zoo entrance

The Perth Zoo is a 41-acre (17 ha) zoo that opened in 1898 in South Perth, Western Australia. As of January 2011, it is home to 1258 animals of 164 species and includes an extensive botanical collection. n 2010/11, the zoo had a paid staff of about 248 (167 full time equivalents), plus about 300 volunteer docents. It is a full institutional member of theZoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

History

Perth Zoo opened on 17 October 1898 by the Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Gerard Smith. Planning for the zoo had started in 1896 when the Western Australian Acclimatization Committee first met, the original purpose of which was to introduce European animals to Australia and establish a zoo. In 1897 this group invited the director of the Melbourne Zoo, Albert Le Souef, to choose a site. His son Ernest was chosen as the first directory of the Perth Zoo, and work began in 1897.

The first exhibits built included two bear caves, a monkey house, a mammal house and a model castle for guinea pigs. The first animals on display included an orangutan, two monkeys, four ostriches, a pair of lions, and a tiger. At first there were only six staff members. The zoo had 53,000 visitors in its first nine months, and has not been closed for a single day since it was opened.

From the start Ernest Le Souef worked to create a botanical collection as well as an animal collection. Work on the gardens started as soon as the site was chosen. Since the site was mostly sand and lacked nutrients and water, loads of manure needed to be brought in, and a well was bored in 1898 to allow irrigation. The zoo included rose gardens, lupin fields, tropical plants, and palms. The original palm collection still stands and boasts over 60 species including Canary Island date palms that are now over 100-years-old. The zoo also grew crops for animals including lettuce, alfalfa, carrots, lucerne and onions. This tradition is still alive, with the zoo producing fodder including hibiscus, bamboo, Fijian fire plant and mirror plant.

Subsequent directors were:

• L.E. Shapcott – as President of the Zoological Gardens Board 1932-1941
• W.K. Lyall – as Superintendent of the Zoo 1950-1967
• Tom Spence – as Zoo Director 1967-1984
• John De Jose – as Zoo Director 1984-1994
• Ricky Burges – as Zoo CEO 1995-1998
• Susan Hunt – as Zoo CEO 2004 -

Exhibits

Perth Zoo has three main zones – Australian Walkabout, Asian Rainforest and African Savannah – with a few minor exhibit areas (Lesser Primates, South American birds, Main Lake, Galapagos Tortoises). All exhibits are designed to mimic the animals’ natural habitats and utilise passive barriers where possible.

Australian Walkabout

Fijian Crested Iguana

The Australian Walkabout includes the Australian Wetlands and Penguin Plunge, Reptile Encounter, Australian Bushwalk, aviaries and the Nocturnal House. The Australian Wetlands includes black swan, black-necked stork, brolga, little pied cormorant, darter, blue-billed duck, freckled duck, Australian shelduck, Radjah shelduck, Eurasian coot, yellow-billed spoonbill, black-winged stilt, little egret, pied heron, plumed whistling duck, estuarine crocodile, freshwater crocodile, motorbike frog, splendid tree frog, Western swamp tortoise. The Penguin Plunge is home to little penguins andbridled terns. The exhibit includes a 50,000-litre (13,000 USgal) pool of filtered salt water with underwater viewing, a beach, a reef, and a rookery.

The Australia Bushwalk takes visitors on our journey through the Australian landscape where they can see dingoes, emus, koalas, red-legged pademelons, numbats, quokka, red kangaroos, short-beaked echidnas, Southern hairy-nosed Wombats, Tammar wallabys, Tasmanian devils, and Western grey kangaroos. A detour takes visitors to the Western Australian Black Cockatoo exhibit, planted with cockatoo food trees and home to Baudin’s cockatoo, Carnaby’s cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, Muir’s corella, red-tailed black cockatoo, and Red-capped Parrot.  Another detour takes visitors to the Numbats Under Threat exhibit, which showcases the endangered Australian numbat along with rufous whistlers.

A Numbat, one of the many species to benefit from Perth Zoo's involvement.

Working with the Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth Zoo breeds threatened Western Australian animal species for release into managed areas of habitat in the wild as part of its Native Species Breeding Program. As of 2011, Perth Zoo breeds Numbats, Western Swamp Tortoises, Dibblers, Woylies and threatened WA frog species including the Sunset Frog, the White-bellied Frog and the Orange-bellied Frog.

The Old Mill

The Central Rock-rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) Central Rock-rat is a critically endangered rodent that was presumed extinct until it was rediscovered in the MacDonnell Ranges Northern Territory in 1996. The last of the Zoo’s Central Rock Rats were sent to Alice Springs Desert Park in 2007 and the breeding program closed.

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